Too Late to Change
by the-hunts
Summary: Based on the tumblr prompt: Owen and Amelia were dating and booked a hotel for a weekend hospital convention, but they broke up and they can't switch rooms because it's too late. Omelia.
1. Our New Normal

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, it all belongs to Shondaland.

 _4 Months Ago_

"Hey – I'm home!" Amelia shouted as she dropped her keys on the table by the front door. She had spent the majority of the day operating on a patient who had not made it to recovery, and all she wanted to do was curl up and cry on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"In the kitchen," came Owen's reply. She walked through the foyer to find him chopping up vegetables and stirring a pot on the stove.

"How was your day?" he started to ask before lifting his head and seeing the weight on her shoulders and the dimness of her eyes. She looked up and made eye contact with him, tears glistening.

"Oh Mia," he whispered as he left his chopping aside and came over to hold her. She grabbed on to the back of his shirt and began to sniffle. Owen rested his head upon hers and rubbed her back, holding on tightly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he prompted gently. On his chest her felt her shake her head and her body started to shake even more.

Owen gently let go of her and turned around to turn off the stove before grabbing her hand and leading her toward the bedroom. He sat her down on the bed and disappeared for a moment, before returning and helping to undress her and put her in her fluffiest robe.

He took her hand and prompted her to sit up and follow, and in response she looked up at him with red-rimmed pleading eyes.

"Come on Mia, it'll make you feel better, I promise." He reasoned, eventually wrapping her up in his arms to carry her in to the en suite.

Amelia lifted her head from where she had burrowed it in Owen's shoulder and took in the dim candle light and the humidity from the steam rising from the bath tub. He helped her remove her robe, and lowered her in to the bathtub before giving her a gentle kiss on the top of her head. As he stood up and turned to leave Amelia grabbed his hand.

"Owen – can you just stay and cuddle me, please?" she whispered, her voice groggy from the tears.

He looked over at her small body and without a second thought removed his clothes before carefully sliding in to the tub behind her. She immediately leaned back on his firm chest and wrapped his arms around her body. As she tucked her head in to the crook of his neck she could feel all of her worries slowly dissipating, and the calm and serenity that Owen radiated flowing in to her.

"I lost a patient today. It was a guy, maybe a few years younger than you. He came in after a car accident with his girlfriend, she only had minor injuries," She started to say quietly, while Owen's arms tightened around her body.

"I just remember her face when I told her. She was crushed. It just made me think of Derek and what I would do if I lost you," she said, her voice trembling.

"I can't lose you Owen, you can't even leave me, it would hurt too much." She managed to say before sobs racked her body. Owen leaned down and kissed her cheek,

"I'll never leave you Mia, you can have me as long as you want me," He whispered in her ear. He held her close until her tears died down and the water had cooled off. They both got out of the tub, wrapped in warm towels, and headed for bed. As they settled in Owen got an idea.

"Mia, are you awake?" he asked quietly.

"Mhm," came her reply, as she rolled over in his arms to look at his face.

"You know that conference that Richard was talking about today? The one in the summer?" he asked.

"Yeah, the one out of town, what about it?" she replied, her words ticking his chest where her head lay.

"What if I ask Richard if we can book a room together? I don't want to have to sleep without you by my side." He said gently, his voice full of question.

"Owen…" she said gently as she raised her head up off his chest to look him in the eye, " I want nothing more, thank you form understanding me and being with me."

"Perfect. I'll talk to him tomorrow morning. Good night Mia" he mumbled in to her hair.

"Good night."

 _2 Months Ago_

He had had a horrible day, his patient had died because of his stupid mistake, and his incompetent intern wouldn't stop asking questions. He was angry and all he wanted to do was scream at the top of his lungs. He stormed in to an on call room and slammed the door shut before settling in to the bottom bunk.

Hours later he was woken up by an intern opening the door before quickly scurrying away after seeing him. Owen looked at his phone to find several texts from Amelia.

 _11:38 am: Hey you, wondering if you wanted to join me for lunch? X_

 _1:35 pm: I'll take it that you're busy, maybe see you in an on-call room for a cuddle later? x_

 _4:47 pm: I'm going to head home soon, are you ready for around 5:30? What do you want to do for dinner?_

 _6:02 pm : Mer took me home. The keys are in your cubby for the truck. I don't know where you are or what's up but I missed you today. See you later?_

He looked down to check the current time, 8:23 pm. _Shit._ Owen quickly went and grabbed his things from his cubby and drove to her place.

"Mia?" he asked as he entered her apartment, unsure of where she may be. He waited a few moments but got no response. He took the stairs slowly, exhausted from his crap day and his mini-coma like nap. As he entered the bedroom her saw her propped up in bed, typing away at her laptop.

"Hey, there you are, I was wondering where I'd find you" he said with a smile.

"Really Owen? You were wondering where I was? Because it seemed to me like I texted you telling you exactly where I'd be, and got nothing in return all day." She replied, a cold look in her eyes.

"Calm down Mia, listen I was just-" he started to say.

"Calm down? Don't tell me to calm down Owen. You know I have issues with the men in my life leaving me, or dying, so when you disappear for a day, and nobody has seen or heard anything from you, you don't get to tell me to calm down!" she shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"It's not all about you Mia! Sometimes I need a break to think without you suffocating me, I don't need to talk everything to death like you!" he shouted back.

When he saw the look on her face he immediately regretted what he had said. Her tears had spilled over her face but her eyes were stone cold, and her mouth set in a thin line.

"Mia, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said-" he started before she cut him off.

"Leave. Get out, take your shit, and get out of my house." She said evenly.

"Amelia, please." He tried to reason.

She looked straight in to his eyes. "Go."

 _Yesterday_

"So for the upcoming conference make sure to arrive to the hotel by 3pm and check in at the front desk. It'll be a very busy weekend, so make sure you plan extra time for waiting in line, and I'll see you all there at Friday's dinner." Richard announced to the group before dismissing them and heading out.

Owen glanced over to Amelia, meeting her eyes for a moment before she quickly turned around again. He sighed to himself, grateful that the conference offered a small distraction from his grieving.

 _Today_

"Sorry? I don't understand," he heard her voice at the check-in desk. He looked over to see her face pale significantly and her eyes narrow at the receptionist. She looked as though she might jump across the desk and murder her.

He decided for the sake of the receptionist he would go over and see what the matter was.

"Hey – is there a problem here Mia?" he asked gently.

"Don't call me that. It's Dr. Shepherd. And yes, yes there is a problem. This bimbo can't figure out how to get me a room." Amelia snapped back at him.

"Amelia- Dr. Shepherd, didn't you book a room in advance?" he asked, confused as to why she would leave something like this so last minute.

"I'm glad to see you remember nothing. We booked a room together, which was obviously not important enough for you to remember." She snarled, hurt evident in her eyes.

At this point the receptionist, either taking pity on Owen or simply wanting to be rid of Amelia spoke up,

"The problem is that there are no more rooms available, the hotel is completely booked for the conference." She said, her eyes pleading at Owen to make sure that Amelia wouldn't kill her.

"Oh." Said Owen.

"'Oh' that's all you have to say?" Amelia asked him, one eyebrow cocked.

"Well if there's no more rooms, there's no more rooms, we've shared before Amel-" he started

"Doctor Shepherd." She corrected coldly.

"-Doctor Shepherd, I'm sure we can make do." He tried to reason with her.

She looked in to his eyes and pondered for a moment.

"Fine. We'll take it."


	2. This is Us

Disclaimer: Par usual, I don't own anything, it all belongs to ShondaLand

Once they had their keys they headed toward the elevator in silence. Amelia avoided making any contact with Owen, choosing to pretend like she was alone. The ding of the elevator snapped her out of her thoughts, signalling her to enter.

Owen was desperately trying to get any reaction from her, but she kept her head down, with her soft brown curls covering her eyes. He so badly wanted to reach forward and push them behind her ear, but for his own safety and her comfort, he restrained.

The elevator doors slowly slid shut, leaving Owen and Amelia to listen to the gentle whirring of the elevator, and their breathing. The walls were all mirrors, beautifully sparkled and cleaned. Owen watched her as her shoulders heaved with each breath; like a weight was pressing down on her and the way her hair swayed as each breath pushed a few strands forward. As he was observing her, she gently tilted her head upward, making eye contact through the reflection.

Owen was shocked to see her looking back but kept a cool façade because it had been so long since he had been able to look in to her deep blue eyes. He watched as emotions crossed her face: confusion, doubt, and curiosity. He wagered a small grin, just lifting one corner of his mouth. Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears, and she tilted her head down again, her hair swooshing back in to it's resting place.

Owen noticed the glassy look in her eyes, "Amelia?" he ventured, reaching out to place one of his large hands on her shoulder. She recoiled immediately, like she had been burned, his hand falling limp at his side.

"Don't, just don't Owen." She whispered, voice thick with emotion.

He so badly wanted to fight with her. Pry and get her to open up again as she used to, _"talking to death"_ as he had so kindly put it all those months ago. But he knew not to push her, and if he wanted even the slightest chance of regaining her trust or even her friendship, he would have to stay quiet, and accept the walls she had put up to protect herself from him.

The elevator finally arrived at their floor, the sudden ding breaking the spell. Amelia strode ahead with her bag trailing behind her, his woman on a mission. Well, a woman on a mission. He followed behind a few steps, leaving space between them. Once she found the room she swiped her key card at the door only to see a small red light. She tried a few more times, eventually letting out a huff of frustration. He had been in such a trance watching her he didn't register her talking to him until she said his name.

"Owen." She sighed. He snapped out of his day dream to look at her. How long had it been since his name had rolled off her tongue? Since she had even addressed him as another person in her area? God how he had missed he way her lips moved around the letters.

"Owen? Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" she huffed.

"Pardon? I zoned out a bit there," he said sheepishly, a blush forming on his cheeks.

"My card isn't working, can I use yours?" she said, looking down at her feet.

"Oh! Sure, just let me grab it." He said and he fumbled through his pocket to find it. He held his out with the card and when their fingers touched it was like nothing had even changed. He looked in to her eyes and caught her gaze before she quickly turned back to the door. Despite her best efforts, the card still didn't work for her.

Owen carefully came up behind her and reached his hand forward to take the card from her. She shot a look over her shoulder, warning him he was getting too cozy. He rolled his eyes in response before taking her hand in his own, and gently inserting the key card in to the slot before being rewarded with a green light.

Amelia stood frozen, her hand still clasped in his. A million thoughts raced through her mind as his scent filled her nostrils and invaded her space, _God I've missed him_. She quickly pushed them aside and released her hand to turn the knob and enter the room.

As they crossed the threshold, they were greeted by the lavishness of the suite. He had flashbacks of the night they booked the room together, choosing to splurge on a suite meant for romance and passion, as opposed to the current cold war that was their present situation. Most noticeably was the large bed that took up the majority of the room, covered in plush blankets and pillows. In the corner was a small sofa that Owen knew would be his resting place for the weekend, and was already dreading the ache in his neck that would form.

"Well, the sofa looks too good to pass up, so I'll take that if you don't mind," he said while shooting a glance in her direction.

"Don't be stupid, you're far too much of a giant to fit on there, it's fine, you just take the bed." She said, her back still facing him.

"No really, it's ok. I mean it's my fault we're in this situation anyway, I'll take the couch." Owen replied quietly.

She froze in her spot, her shoulders rising and falling with her breaths. Still facing away from him, she quickly nodded her head, before moving to settle her clothes in the wardrobe.

Amelia had disappeared in to the bathroom about 20 minutes ago, stating she needed to shower after a day of travel. He simply nodded his head in replied and listened for the water to turn on. Owen lost track of time reading a journal on the couch until he heard his name being called.

"Owen?" she said, poking her head out of the doorway.

"Amelia? Is everything ok?" he said, looking over his shoulder to see her dripping wet hair and her teeth chattering.

"Not really, there's no towel in here. Are there any out there?" She asked, praying he would find some quickly before she froze the death.

"Hang on – I'll check" he said, scurrying off the couch to look around the room, eventually coming back empty handed.

He gently knocked on the bathroom door, and Amelia's head popped out.

"I didn't find any, not even a robe. Did you want me to grab something from your suitcase?" He asked hesitantly trying to look away from the drips of water making their way down her collarbones.

"Shit," she muttered, "I didn't really bring anything I can get wet, just don't worry about it."

After the door closed again he went over to his suitcase, rifling through before finding what he was looking for. He stood outside the door and knocked again.

"Amelia?"

She door opened again, this time her hair was tied in a bun on the top of her head, leaving her smooth and creamy neck on display for Owen. He bit back a groan before offering her the item in his hand.

She looked down and immediately recognized the shirt. It was soft red and black plaid flannel, one that she used to "borrow" from Owen when she stayed over. She was quiet as she looked from the shirt to his eyes, seeing nothing but kindness and nervousness. She took the shirt from his hand and thanked him quietly before closing the door and slipping the shirt over her head. She leaned against the door and brought the collar to her nose, breathing in the masculine scent that she knew so well. She shook her head at the thought and began doing her makeup before leaving her hair in soft curls.

About half an hour later she peeked her head out of the door, finding Owen facing away from her on the couch, already in his suit for dinner. She wagered that if she was quiet enough, he wouldn't even notice her. She walked out of the bathroom and over to her suitcase, bending over to find a pair of underwear.

Owen turned his head at the noise of the zipper, and was greeted with the sight of her long creamy legs and the curve of her bum peeking out from under his shirt. He tore himself away from the image, not wanting to be caught, or get a reaction from looking at her smooth skin. He heard the swish of her dress being taken out of bag and her feet padding back to the bathroom.

After she had disappeared back in to the washroom, he took the time to put on some cologne and smooth his hair and tie in to place. Dressed in a black suit with a crisp white shirt and a skinny black tie, he knew he looked nice. On his wrist was his favourite watch, the one she had given him for their 6-month anniversary. He turned around as he heard the bathroom door being opened again, Amelia appearing in a long black dress. The top had a high collar, and the flared out around her midriff to show a few inches of mesh before becoming the opaque black again. Her hair was pinned away from her face, and as she looked over at him he noticed how dark her eyes looked.

"Do you mind just getting the zipper please?" she pleaded quietly.

Owen walked over and touched her back as he secured the dress shut, intoxicated by the sight of her muscular back and smooth skin. Without knowing they both held their breath while he slowly dragged the zipper up. She was first to break the silence.

"Are you ready to head down to dinner?" she asked, taking in his muscular form and the clean-cut lines of his suit.

He looked in to her eyes and nodded his head, following her lead out of the suite.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2!


	3. Pretending

Disclaimer: Shonda owns everything, I just do stuff with it.

At dinner they were seated side by side. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to them, as they had requested to be together all those months ago. Yet still, as the entered the ballroom and found their place cards next to each other, there was another moment of tension. Owen looked over to Amelia and cocked an eyebrow at her, silently asking if she was okay with the arrangement. She looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders before giving a quick nod.

As they sat side by side chatting with doctors from all over the country, the started to let their guard down a little more around each other. When the waiter asked if Owen wanted red or white wine to drink, he glanced over at Amelia before ordering.

"Sparkling water, lime please."

At this she raised her head and glanced over.

"Sparkling water?" she asked, her voice shy and questioning.

"I've stopped drinking on a regular basis. The sparkling water is refreshing, especially the lime" he told her with a shy grin.

She nodded her in head in agreement and gave him a small smile in return, her one dimple making an appearance for the first time in months. When the waiter took her order, she asked for the same.

After the dinner there were presentations, and awards of honour to be given to those who had made great leaps in the scientific community. Award winners were never notified in advance, so when " _Doctor Amelia Shepherd_ " was announced, she was frozen in her seat. Noticing that Amelia wasn't moving, he grabbed her shoulder gently, and nudged her toward the stage to accept. As Amelia approached the stage the announcer read off all of her achievements over the last year, the most recognizable being the removal of Dr. Herman's brain tumour.

As he watched her glide toward the stage with a look of astonishment on her face, he swore he had never been more proud of her before. He was proud that she hadn't relapsed, despite all he had done to hurt her, intentionally or not. He was proud that despite Derek dying, and Meredith turning her back on her, she still rose above and carried on her work.

"Wow. That's really I can say. This is such a shock to me, especially after the year I've had. Most of you will know about the passing of Dr. Derek Shepherd. Not only was this a horrible loss in the neurology world, but also to me on a personal level, he was my big brother, and this year has been terrifying without him," she said with a shaky voice turning to make eye contact with Owen, "A person who once meant the world to me supported me throughout a lot of this past year, and for that I am grateful. Thank you again."

As she exited off the stage she wiped her tears away from her eyes and tried to compose herself before returning to her seat. After a few deep breaths she walked over to the table and quietly sat in her seat while the winner on stage gave their speech of acceptance. She could feel his eyes burning in to her skin as he stared at her. Amelia took another calming breath and focused back to the presentation, ignoring Owen's confused glance beside her.

Near the end of the awards, a video started playing. It was a compilation of the life and successes of Doctor Derek Shepherd. Hearing his voice and seeing his face made Amelia choke up, silent tears running down her face. She looked over at Owen, who was also crying and slowly reached out to rest her hand on top of his before turning her eyes back to the video. Owen squeezed her hand gently, and their fingers remained interlocked for the rest of the awards.

After, the tables in the centre of the room were cleared, and a dance floor was established. Not long after, a young man came approached the table.

"Hi, Doctor Shepherd right?" he asked with an easy grin.

"Please, call me Amelia," she said, untangling her hand from Owen's to offer it to the guest.

"Amelia it is. I'm Doctor Sam Ford, may I have this dance?" he said with an easy southern drawl.

Amelia's eyes flitted to Owen. His shoulders and back were stiff and his eyes were staring at the ground.

"I'd love to."

Owen watched as Dr. Jackass as he was affectionately calling him, twirled Amelia around the floor again. They had been dancing for a few songs, with each one Dr. Jackass was pulling her closer and his hands were reaching lower. _I swear if he touches her ass I'll kill him_. He thought grumpily. But then again, what right did he have? He sat there fuming until he caught Amelia's eyes and noticed panic in them.

Amelia was gently trying to put some distance between the two of them and praying that he wouldn't try to cop a feel. As he pulled her closer once again he leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"Why don't we take this upstairs and do a different tango?" he said with a glint in his eye.

"I think I'll have to pass unfortunately, I'm not really looking for that," she said, her body stiffening and avoiding eye contact.

"Not really looking? Then why have you been dancing up on me all night, getting my hopes up? It's only fair sweetheart." He said, his grip on her hips tightening uncomfortably.

Her blood ran cold with his term of endearment. She looked over and made eye contact with Owen, silently begging for him to come and rescue her, hoping he received the message.

As he saw Amelia's eyes filled with fear and silent begging, he rose from his seat and started walking in their direction. When he reached them he tapped rather aggressively on Dr. Jackass' shoulder.

"Hi there, do you mind if I cut in?" Owen asked, his easy smile betrayed by the look of fury in his eyes.

"Yeah I do a bit, besides I think we're heading out anyway," Dr. Jackass replied with a sneer as his hand dipped even lower down Amelia's back, resting at the curve of her ass.

"Is that so?" Owen asked, his voice sickly sweet, "Well, considering she's my girlfriend I have a few oppositions to that, so beat it. Now." He gave the new doctor a look so cold it could freeze hell over.

"Oh really? If she's your girlfriend, why hasn't she said anything about you all night?" he asked back with venom on his tongue.

"Probably because she has better manners than I do," Owen said back in a threatening tone, "now if you'd be so kind as to get your hands off my girlfriend's ass, that'd be great."

Owen looked over to Amelia, silently begging for her to go along with it. She looked back with a quick nod.

"Listen, I'm so sorry if I've given you the wrong idea, but I'm here with Dr. Hunt so I won't be going anywhere that's not with him," Amelia said in a confident voice, shooting a grin at Owen. Dr. Jackass finally let go of her, giving them both dirty looks.

"Whatever, if you have a boyfriend, try not being such a slut next time." He said looking straight at Amelia. Beside her Owen grew tense and she looked down to see his hand twitching. She quickly took hold of his hand between both of hers and rested her head on his shoulder, silently telling him to let it go. Owen looked down at Amelia and met her eyes, letting his shoulders relax.

As he was leaving, Sam turned around and said, "What I find really weird is that you'd choose some creepy old man over me, I guess you've just got low standards."

At this Amelia looked over at Owen before letting go of his hand and quickly approaching Sam.

"The 'old man' you're talking about over there is an army major who could snap your body in half, so I'd shut up if I were you. He is also the nicest, kindest and most caring person that I've ever had the pleasure to meet. And before you say anything else, I'd look at his height and hand size compared to yours, because there's a pretty obvious choice there, and it's not in your favour," Amelia said with a smirk, "Oh and one more thing – " she said as she slapped him across the face, "don't ever call me a slut again."

With that she swiftly turned around and strode back toward Owen, giving him a shy grin and squeezing his hand for good measure.

As the song changed, Owen looked down at Amelia, who was still resting at his side.

"Mind if I have this dance?" he asked nervously, hope in his voice.

Amelia looked up at him, unsure. She slowly nodded her head and followed his lead to the floor.

As they danced they both had a million thoughts running through their minds. Amelia couldn't help but wonder if Owen had only come over because she asked, or if he was genuinely jealous. Owen couldn't wrap his mind around all of the things she had said to Sam, about him being caring and the great sex, was it all a charade?

Amelia broke the silence first, "I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out back there, you know, pretending to be jealous and everything." _I hope you weren't pretending._

Owen felt all the air leave his body. _Pretending_. She had been pretending. He felt his heart sink before he realized she was waiting on a response.

"Oh… yeah, no problem. I'm happy to pretend any day," he said with a grimace, hurt evident in his voice, "I'm going to head upstairs, I'll see you later."

As he quickly walked away leaving her in the middle of the dance floor, she couldn't help but wonder if he still felt the same way she did. Either way, she had upset him, so without another thought she ran after him.

A/N: Chapter 4 coming soon - let me know what you want to happen next!


	4. Confessions

Disclaimer: Everything I write is based off of the characters created by Shonda herself.

A/N: here's the last chapter, thank you so much for reading xx A

Owen couldn't get the word out of his mind as he walked toward the elevator. _Pretending_. She had said all of those things so some creep would leave her alone, not because she still had feelings for him. _Why would she change her mind anyway? You were still an ass to her_ , he berated himself in his mind. Looking down at his shoes he waited for the elevator to ding, before stepping in and immediately closing the doors.

Amelia strode through the foyer looking for his tall frame in the crowd. She couldn't get the idea out of her mind; _was he upset because I downplayed what I said? I meant it_. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she missed the red headed army major enter the elevator. She continued through the foyer, stopping to ask a few of her colleagues if any of them had seen him. She grew tired of walking around in her tall heels, so she headed for the elevator, hoping to find him upstairs.

Owen was sprawled on the couch going over everything when he heard something.

"Oh for God's sake." He heard her mumbling quietly, and amused smirk taking over his face.

"This stupid piece of –" she had started to say when the door flew open, Owen standing in front of her, dressed in boxers and one of his army issue t-shirts.

"Uh, thank you." She stuttered, suddenly nervous by his appearance and the solemn expression on his face.

He nodded his head in reply and turned around, walking back toward the couch where he had thrown down a blanket and a pillow. She followed behind him, wary of the uncomfortable silence that occupied the room.

"I'm just going to change," she said, and was met with silence as a reply.

As soon as she got in to the bathroom she realized the she wouldn't be able to get the dress undone alone. She needed his help, _again_ , she thought silently. She padded out of the bathroom to find him lying on the couch, staring at the wall in front of him.

"Would you mind just helping me with the zipper again? I'm sorry, I should have asked before you got settled, I just can't quite reach it." She pleaded, her voice nervous and shaky.

He nodded his head and came over to help. As he stood behind her she couldn't help but be more aware of how large his body was in comparison to hers, but how gentle his was were with the delicate zip of her dress. She held her breath as thoughts raced through her mind, prompting her to talk to him.

"Owen?" she said quietly, looking down at her feet.

"Yeah?" he replied, the warm air of his breath tickling the back of her neck.

"Can we talk? I just wanted to sort some things out and make sure nothing was misunderstood." She said quickly, her words jumbling a bit.

 _She's adorable_ he thought to himself. He brought his focus back to her question; avoiding her eyes because he knew his resolve would crumble at the sight.

"I think you made everything pretty clear back there," he said, his voicing sounding more hurt than he intended it to.

"That's the thing I'm not-" she had started to say when his deep tone interrupted.

"Not tonight, I'm tired," he said weakly.

"I just want-" she started when his voice cut through hers again.

"Please Mia," he whispered, his voice sounding exhausted.

Amelia lifted her head at the use of his nickname for her; finally taking the time to look in to his baby blue eyes, and see the deep frown and worry that had taken up residence across his face.

Owen looked back in to her eyes that swirled with confusion, and how her chest rose with the calming breath she took. She slowly nodded her head in answer to him, and with that he turned around and headed back for the couch.

In the bathroom Amelia shucked off her dress, removed her jewellery and wiped all the makeup off of her face. As she went to put on her pyjamas, she caught a glimpse of the red and black in the corner of her eye. Throwing her worries and cares aside she put her pyjamas down before throwing the soft flannel over her head for the second time that day. She turned off the light and snuggled down in to the large bed. As she drifted off to sleep she could have sworn she heard him whisper,

 _Good night Mia_.

The next morning she woke up to sound of the shower spraying. She quietly lay on her side, facing toward the bathroom and thought about everything that had happened last night. She made it her mission that today they would talk about everything. As she sorted out her plan of attack, the bathroom door swooshed open and Owen came out, a towel wrapped around his waist and water beads trailing down his firm chest. He looked over in her direction, surprised to see two big blue orbs looking at him.

"Oh! I didn't know you were up yet, I hope I didn't wake you," he said looking back at her.

"Oh you didn't, not to worry," she said back, a blush forming up her chest at being caught staring.

"Good. Good, I'm just going to, uh, get changed now," he said, tightening his grip on the towel.

"Of course! Yeah, sure, I'll just be in the washroom," she said awkwardly, sliding out from under the covers before heading in and closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door closed he ran his hand over his face. She had slept in the shirt. The shirt that she used to steal from him and wearing every morning after she had spent the night. _Great,_ the thought to himself as his body started to react to all the memories and images of her body racing through his mind. He willed the thoughts away and focused on getting dressed for the day.

In the washroom, Amelia paced back and forth. She had been staring. More than staring, she had been ogling him. His firm chest and broad shoulders, and most definitely his muscular ass as he turned away from her. She felt heat rising up her chest and on to her cheeks. _Control yourself Amelia, this is embarrassing_. She went over to the sinks and splashed water in her face. As she looked up she saw something shiny in the reflection. On the other side of the counter was his watch. She recognized it immediately. She had given it to him for their 6-month anniversary. Her heart tugged at the sight. _He was still wearing her watch_ , she smiled to her self in satisfaction. With newly found energy she undid one more button on the shirt and fixed her hair before heading out the door.

Amelia walked out and saw he was clad only in a pair of dark wash jeans, riding low on his hips. _His ass looks fantastic_ she thought to herself. He slipped a tee over his heading before turning around and making eye contact with her. She gave him a small half-smile that he returned.

"Hey," he said awkwardly as she stared at him.

"Hi," she said meekly, "I really want to talk to you about something."

He looked in to her eyes trying to judge what she was about to say but came up short.

"Okay," he agreed, gesturing for her to come join him on her couch.

She strode over and sat opposite him on the couch, watching as his eyes roamed her body and swept over her legs peeking out from under his shirt.

"So…" he said awkwardly, looking down at his lap.

"I'm just going to get straight to the point, ok?" she said nervously, wringing her hands together. Owen nodded at her, telling her to proceed.

"Last night, I, uh, I meant everything that I said." She mumbled quickly.

His head shot up and he looked over at her.

"I meant what I said about you being there for me, and that you're kind, caring and everything. I meant it, every word." She said slowly, watching for a reaction to cross his face.

He stayed silent for a moment before speaking softly, "You did?"

She held his gaze and nodded her head in response, a sheepish look on her face.

"I don't understand," he said, "why would you say you were pretending?"

"I was scared Owen. I'm still scared. When you said that stuff you did when we broke up, it hurt me. I trusted you, and opened myself up to you and you shut me down," she said, eyes glassy, "but last night when I was here with you and you held my hand and we chatted like we used to, I realized how much I missed it, and how much I missed you,"

Owen stared back at her, a mix of shame and elation across his face.

"I guess what I'm really asking is did you miss me too?"

"Of course I did Mia, I still do," he answered after a moment, "I miss you when you're not in bed with me, when I look across the breakfast table and realize it's empty. I miss you when we're in the same room."

"You do?" she asked in shock.

"I do Mia. I miss us. And I'm being completely honest, I missed the way you wore that shirt a thousand times better than I ever did," he said cheekily.

Amelia ducked her head as a blush formed across her chest and face. Owen reached out and lifted her chin.

"I am so sorry I let this happen. I have regretted what I said to you every second since I said it. But I'm willing to try harder and open up to you, if you'll let me," he said sincerely.

"Okay." She said happily, her dimple appearing again.

"Yeah?" Owen replied in wonder.

She nodded her head at him as she crawled on to his lap, "Yeah."

He ran is hands through her hair, pulling her in his embrace. She snuggled in to his chest like nothing had ever changed.

"Mia?" he said gently, eyes crinkling with happiness.

"Mhm," her said, words muffled by his chest.

"I love you," he said, holding his breath for her response.

She lifted her head to look in to his eyes, "I love you too."

He smiled back at her before pulling her back in to his chest, resting is head in her hair.

"Owen," she said in to his shirt, tilting her head to look at him, "Kiss me."

And he did.


End file.
